In its new location outside of South Park, CO Sonic Bloom 2014 elevated the mountains with liquid sub and unheard of collective jams creating a vibrant community of bass faced people. Colorado silliness was proud and true over the weekend, filling the valley with Colorado flags, constant laughter, and the occasional didgeridoo in the distance. Prepared and powerful, the goers of Bloom showed up to be a first rate crowd and a transcendent collective free from the stress and urgency of the real world. The new venue and its host were was as much a part of the festival as the crowd was, and the whole project was in full cooperation with the police and the town of Fairplay.

The lineup including artists such as Tipper, EOTO, The Polish Ambassador, and the Sonic Bloom Orchestra worked to create innovative electronic music specific to Sonic Bloom. The eighteen piece Michael Menert Big Band seamlessly combined the DJ booth with live guitars, horns and multiple drum sets to create its own authentic sound. Menert was not the only one to morph the idea of live electronica, but many of the artists also participated in the Sonic Bloom Orchestra. Composed of a crew including Michael Travis and Jamie Janover, the Sonic Bloom Orchestra created a sound unknown until it came out of Bloom’s very strange faceless speakers.

The backdrop to the music was composed of temples, vendors, and even a geodesic dome covered in gongs that took its attendees to the moon and back. In front of main stage a lotus temple was erected with petal like tents in the middle housing crystals and shrines creating a source of positive energy that resonated throughout the festival.

An mutual vitality could be felt throughout the grounds that was strongly created through a campground full of makeshift sun barriers, musicians, and a surprising amount of slacklines. Each camp brought new ideas, personalities and instruments to the Unified Field, an idea specific to Bloom and Colorado originated by Jamie Janover of Zilla and Praang. “Everyone is coming together and spreading information and growing with each other,” said a representative of the Lunar Fire dance troupe based in Denver. Although the campground was full of a rather young bunch of people, it remained safe, clean, and bumpin throughout the entire weekend. When the sun finally rose on monday morning it was clear there was a collective effort to return the space to its original sanctity and beauty.
Two press conferences were held over the weekend and it was obvious there was more to Sonic Bloom than just music and dancing. The artists made a point to tell the media about the progressive mindset of Bloom. By the conclusion of the festival it was clear that both men and women, young and old, from all over the world had come together to make Sonic Bloom and explore the idea of the Unified Field.